'By the way, there's Spotted Flycatchers nesting on your house' was an ideal stage-setter from Paul before we arrived, and they fast became the stars of the show. Nesting on a specially-installed ledge just below the apex of the roof - apparently many rural Swedish properties have them, as they're considered good luck, and are justly valued for their biting insect-catching skills - the adults worked tirelessly to feed their four young, and were permanent fixtures alongside us in the garden.
Our accommodation for the trip - a 1750s farmhouse (right), which we shared with the Spotted Flycatchers and also a family of Great Tits nesting in a crack in the wall
